


BETWEEN|the|LINES

by drowninginchamomiletea



Category: Original Work
Genre: !!, F/F, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, I LOVE THESE KIDS THEY'RE THE GREATEST, I love fantasy and I struggle with writing intriguing socially-based plots sooo, M/M, PLEASE critique my work! I want these kids to be the best they can be, THEY'RE SO LONELY BUT THEY HAVE EACH OTHER, aw yea this is so great I can share my kids with the world, fantasy fiction, however me being me there's always a small chance it'll turn into, maybe some magics will find their way in there !!???!?!?, realistic fiction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-11
Updated: 2017-05-11
Packaged: 2018-10-30 14:10:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10878408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/drowninginchamomiletea/pseuds/drowninginchamomiletea
Summary: The "real" Avens Villagers hold a tangible grudge against the people living in the new condos which have been squeezed between and behind the existing houses. This holds especially true for Trisky, a peach-haired sage-eyed almost-16-year-old Etsy merchant and aspiring painter. Trisky has a strong sense of pride in her roots as a lifelong resident of the neighborhood, and that she was living there "before." However, when her spite catches the attention of Evlan, a cherry-haired mahogany-eyed 15-year-old techie and aspiring engineer who moves into the condo beside her house, things start to change--and fast.





	1. Chapter 1 (Prologue)

The “real” Avens Villagers held a tangible grudge against the people living in the new condos which had been squeezed between and behind the existing houses.

It hadn't even really been that long; the construction of all of the new residences was completed in less than three months, and they were only put on the market a month ago. Urban sprawl was becoming a bit of a concern in the semi-rural town of North River, so the city council decided to save land by forcefully buying it from homeowners, then building new homes on it. Needless to say, the small-town-proud residents of unincorporated neighborhoods such as Avens Village weren't particularly happy about this.

* * *

Fudwins banged his fists on the table, face flushed in frustration.

“I _know_ it's a terrible idea, Gerald, but it's the _only_  idea! If we can't find property zoned residential by the end of November, we'll lose farmland to homes. Then we won't have food for the local grocers, and in case you've forgotten, _that's our main economic backbone!_ ”

Gerald opened his mouth as if to snap back at Fudwins, but then appeared to deflate. Sighing, he looked dejectedly down at his hands on the table before him. Each of the other city council members bore a similar display of unhappy resignation. There was a lengthy pause. Finally, Fudwins looked up.

“May as well get it over with... Motion...” He inhaled deeply and let out a long, tired breath. “...passed.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Throw me a bone! Leave a comment with your compliments and critiques. I'm a young writer and I would LOVE to get feedback on my first legitimate novel-length story! Bunches of thanks!! Hugs! \☆v☆/
> 
> See you next chapter,  
> -Nova


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we meet our main characters. mY CHILDREN THEY ARE SO GOOD. SO PURE. PROTECT THEM.

The rain seemed to hang in the air as it fell for a bit longer than it should've, almost as though it was fog which had suddenly decided that it wanted to be rain. A teenager laid on the roof of a house, spread-eagled and relaxed with her eyes closed. She liked to frequent the world in her mind, where she had friends, space to run and laugh, privacy when she wanted it and freedom to socialize when she asked for it. Trisky was a lonely child.

She had difficulty knowing when to come down from the roof, but it was generally when the rain soaked into her sweatshirt and crept across her skin. She crawled down the trellis and landed on the grass, shaking her head to rid her peach-blonde hair of the condensed moisture. When she looked up, brushing a still-damp lock from her face, she noticed a face in the window directly beside her. Staring flatly at the face, which was that of a teenage boy with dark tan skin, brown eyes, bright red hair, and a startled expression, she seemed to be trying to squash it.

* * *

The boy's name was Evlan, and he was struggling with a combination of exhaustion and jumpy anxiety. He had been staring miserably out into the grey street, trying to sort out his feelings about his new house, when Trisky dropped to the ground not two feet from the window. He jumped back in surprise, wide-eyed. A split second later, conscious thought set in and his initial jump reflex transitioned into a downtrodden slump. He had learned of the original Avens Villagers' feelings toward the residents of the new condos the day before. It wasn't really easing the transition of the move much. _But I shouldn't be beating myself down by thinking so negatively,_  Evlan thought, watching Trisky's back as she stalked away. _I should go get some sleep. I wonder what school tomorrow will be like..._

* * *

The dark, mid-October morning was cold.

Not the crisp, chill cold that comes with a frost, but the freezing, unassumingly deep cold of the air itself that predicts snow. The air was perfectly still, and the sky was a dark indigo. A slight glow sat quietly between two of the mountains in the eastern sky. Gossamer clouds spread unevenly across the horizon, fanning out and breaking up not far above the tallest visible peak.

Trisky walked to the bus stop early, which was quite rare for her. She usually ended up running, with a piece of toast clutched between her teeth and barely ten seconds to spare. Despite usually being barely on time for everything, Trisky liked being early. It made her feel like she'd won something to be the first person to arrive somewhere. It let her feel like she had at least some control in her life. _I can't let other people hurt and control me forever,_  she thought. But forever...

She looked at the still-starry sky.

...Forever is hard to change. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Throw me a bone! Leave a comment with your compliments and critiques. I'm a young writer and I would LOVE to get feedback on my first legitimate novel-length story! Bunches of thanks!! Hugs! \☆v☆/
> 
> See you next chapter,  
> -Nova


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we spend a short, lazy afternoon with the kids.

Evlan had always had a better life than most. His dad was a software engineer for Microsoft, and frequently moved around for work. He was used to spending long, rainy afternoons lounging around on the plush floor mat in his room, talking on the phone with some real friends from some of the places he'd lived.

He got good grades in school; he was fairly consistent in being in the top math classes and getting As and Bs in science, and Bs in LA and history. He used the clarinet as his one anchoring thing that always stayed the same, never changing. It kept him sane. He spent many hours practicing, wishing he had another musician to play with.

Evlan sat in his bedroom, playing the Minuet in C with expert skill. Just before the final bar, though, he faltered and stopped playing, staring at the beige carpeted floor of his bedroom. Already, he was friendly with the robotics and coding group at Mountain Falls High. He didn't really feel like he quite belonged there, though, and he couldn't tell why.

As he ruminated, rain began to tap at the window. He could almost hear it calling him, worrying away at the delicate confidence from his first day of school. _“Evlan… Evlan… Are you sure you're right this time…? Are you sure these people are friends…? You know your neighbor hates you… She hates you and everyone you think you know… Don't get too confident, Evlan… Sshhhhh… Ssshhhhhhh…..”_

He coughed a few times, trying not to cry with the pressure in his throat getting worse as the rain intensified. Trying to hold out, he hastily took out his reed, took apart the clarinet, and put it away. God, what a shitty thing to be thinking about.

* * *

Trisky lay on her bedroom floor, her stuffed bison loosely held in her right arm, as she watched through her skylight to see the rain slowly turning into snow. The clattering fury of the heavy rain began to freeze and become silent, the wind becoming just slightly slower and more constant. Everything would be white, come morning. Hopefully more snow would fall and keep it on the ground for a couple days. That would be nice. The world was so quiet and insulated when under a blanket of snow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Throw me a bone! Leave a comment with your compliments and critiques. I'm a young writer and I would LOVE to get feedback on my first legitimate novel-length story! Bunches of thanks!! Hugs! \☆v☆/
> 
> See you next chapter,  
> -Nova


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the kids meet!

Evlan had thought he wanted to practice clarinet, but he'd been wrong. After playing Heart and Soul just once, and not even getting through the first half of Minuet, he'd stopped tiredly to become very interested in the carpeted floor of his room. Slowly lowering the clarinet with a sigh, he began to take the reed out. However, he paused again, brow furrowed. There was the sound of a song—a very certain song.

“...Minuet?” He wondered aloud. After another moment, he was sure. That sequence of notes... it was unmistakable.

Creeping down the hall, still clutching his clarinet, the sound gradually got louder. It seemed to be coming from...

“Ah.”

Peeking through the small window at the end of the hall, he saw that the girl in the house next door had opened her bedroom curtains for the first time since he had moved in, giving him a clear view of her playing Minuet on the violin. She wore a plain, cream-colored, tunic-like shirt with fluttery, loosely pleated short sleeves, and plain blue leggings. Her skin was a warm, light caramel.

On some tiny impulse—to this day he doesn't know what made him do it—Evlan repositioned his reed, raised the clarinet to his lips, and began to tentatively play along with her.

* * *

Coming out of a trance, Trisky leapt up from her chair and faced the window, wide-eyed and scared. She couldn't hold up such spite for so long. She didn't want to keep hating this boy whose name she didn't even know. She stood frozen for a moment, violin clutched by the neck in her left hand, bow gripped in her right. Her pink hair stopped moving, framing her anxious and unhappy face perfectly. Looking at the boy's navy and red striped shirt, bells rang in her ears, shaking her from her fearful stance.

* * *

Evlan's mouth was suddenly very dry, and he had to swallow painfully and clear his throat to stutter a few half-words.

"I, uh, um..."

A short pause later, the girl seemed to return to reality; she blinked several times and her hair swayed as she straightened her posture. After freezing for another instant, she dashed to the window and violently yanked the curtains closed.

He was left standing with his mouth slightly open, his clarinet hanging loosely from his fingers, and, to his own surprise, an expression of unsuspecting disappointment. It's not like he'd really expected anything more...

...right?

* * *

Trisky was shaking. Not a lot, but even still. _Why am I so afraid of him? I hate him, I don't fear him!_ She wanted to sit in her closet and read, to hide. She was reaching her stress point again, and this was the worst time for it to happen. Too many Ds... Too many people passive-aggressively ignoring her... Too many close calls with exhaustion in the past month or two. And so much work still to do.

Trisky sighed and curled up on her bedroom floor, just letting the tears drip as she fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Throw me a bone! Leave a comment with your compliments and critiques. I'm a young writer and I would LOVE to get feedback on my first legitimate novel-length story! Bunches of thanks!! Hugs! \☆v☆/
> 
> See you next chapter,  
> -Nova


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Trisky is frustrated and Evlan wonders.

Sitting on her bed and typing furiously on the lineless blue felt keyboard of her Surface, Trisky silently blessed Material UIs for being so devoid of patterns. She could focus.

School had been kicking her ass in the past month. Science was okay, but she just couldn't seem to make the grade. Math, well, math was just...

“Always the bane of the artists, aren't you?” She muttered through gritted teeth, trying to find the right way to explain angles of depression and elevation. 

In ninth grade, she'd ended the year just barely scraping a D+ in Algebra I, and now, halfway through November of her sophomore year, she was doing even worse in Geometry. To even get into Geo, she had to retake Alg I online over the summer. She managed a high C, but that was only by doing nothing but study all day and all night for the whole break.

 _“According to the main principle of the concept under discussion, the angle of the_  oh, just, just, just--augh!! This is bullshit!! I can't, I just, ugh!” Slapping shut her computer, Trisky slid off her bed and onto the quilt she had laid out on her floor. _No one's home... Ah. Awesome._  Taking a deep breath, she pressed her face into the thin blanket and screamed at the top of her lungs, _“I HATE MATH!!”_

She stood up and opened the shades over her small skylight, then laid in the square of winter sunlight, breathing deeply. She smiled and spoke aloud to the empty room.

“That felt good... Sweet _J_ _esus_ , I'm sick of Geometry.”

The sound of an engine approaching perked Trisky up. She loved getting the mail from the delivery person; it was just so _boring_ to get it from the mailbox at the end of the day. She rushed down the stairs and jumped into her shoes before jogging out to the box to await the mail truck's arrival. The delivery person today was a kindly looking older woman whom Trisky did not recognize. The woman smiled as she handed over the bundle of envelopes and magazines.

“You have a good rest of your afternoon, young lady,” she said, smiling.

“Thank you, ma'am, I will!” Trisky chirped back, waving farewell before traipsing back to the house.

* * *

Evlan watched the girl disappear back into her garage with her bundle of mail. Not 10 minutes ago, she'd been clearly audible shouting _“I HATE MATH,”_ and he felt sort of sorry for her.

Based on his interrogations of his new friends, she was an uncommonly good artist, and exceptional at the violin—but she was also infamous for being among the worst in the district in terms of math scores. Her name was Trisky, they had told him, and he shouldn't really bother to pay her much mind. She didn't matter. She was, as far as any socially competent person was concerned, arrogant, stuck-up, and attention-seeking, and to be spoken to only if it was required for the success of a prank being pulled on her.

“I wonder,” he mused, “what did she do? Why is she such a social death sentence to talk to? She seems alright, creative, interesting. Why is she so reviled?”

He shook his head and sighed. Reaching over to grab his favorite book off the floor by the shelf, he sat against his bed and let himself slip away into the story. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Throw me a bone! Leave a comment with your compliments and critiques. I'm a young writer and I would LOVE to get feedback on my first legitimate novel-length story! Bunches of thanks!! Hugs! \☆v☆/
> 
> See you next chapter,  
> -Nova


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which... Actually, you find out.

Trisky suddenly stood and walked to her desk.

"You know what... Why don't I try to..."

She shook her head, walking back across the room.

"No... What if he shows the note to his school friends..."

She bit her lip, glancing back at the desk.

"But... I can't just sit here and..."

She stared at the desk for a few moments, brow furrowed.

"Ugh, alright, _fine,_ I'll try and make second contact."

* * *

When Evlan woke, he was hungry, his window was dark, and the glowing digits of his alarm clock read _19:27_. The room was softly lit by the small green lamp on his bedside table.

Standing up and stretching, he made his way to the door to turn on the overhead light, intending to go downstairs to get something to eat. However, just as he lifted his arm toward the lightswitch, he was stopped by a quiet crinkling sound. Looking down, he saw that his right foot had come down upon the edge of a piece of notebook paper. He turned on the light and picked up the paper, noticing the paragraphs of neat, loopy writing which filled the other side. All thoughts of food abandoned, Evlan strode back to his bed and sat down to read the note.

_I don't know why I'm so disliked either. It's not easy, either—I say that because if it wasn't frustrating, I might actually enjoy the solitude. The difficulty is that when people do talk to me, I don't know if it's a prank or if they're trying to be nice. So I just ignore everyone because it's honestly more likely to be someone in mean spirits trying to humiliate me. But that means that not only do I ignore kind people, I also just fuel the claims about me being stuck-up and uncaring._

_No one will help me with math but my dad, because they all gave up on me long ago, before I was a scapegoat. I don't know why I have such trouble with it, but I just do and I always have. I can never explain things right—why is there even a writing grade in this class in the first place?? I can't participate in youth violin competitions, because of this one F. I'd be putting my heart and soul into that, if only I were allowed to. Stupid competition entrance requirements. I just want to paint and write and play in peace; why do I need angles of depression and elevation for that!?_

_I'm not sure how I feel about knowing that you asked your friends about me, but I thought I may as well give you my side of the story before you went believing them or anything. So, personal introduction, I'm Trisky. Trisky Ellan. I still don't really like you, just because of your perceived guilt by association, but I've always had trouble holding grudges and you seem reluctant to hate me (which is pretty unusual, haha), so I'll give you a chance. Or two. Not really sure why I'm saying this, but thanks._

Evlan suddenly realized he'd been holding his breath the entire time he'd been reading the note. Letting out a winded breath, he blinked several times and stared at the note again. His eyes were wide as saucers as he scanned back over the words, processing what he'd just read. He had just gotten a peek into a very stormy part of a stranger's life, without warning. He rubbed his eyes, and looking down once more, noticed a postscript.

_P.S. Hey, maybe you could be like a spy for me, and try and get some info on why it is that they all hate me. Just like in a detective novel, heheh!! Get back to me on that, actually..._

“God almightly...” he muttered exasperatedly, furiously rubbing his eyes again. He'd always had a sort of morbid curiosity with the bullied. He'd never been the bully, but he'd never been anything more than a passive bystander, either.

* * *

 _Maybe..._  That was the moment when both of the young creatives realized something, although they interpreted it differently. If they could make the best of their situation with one another, it might all end well for both.

* * *

Trisky stopped, suddenly scared of what she'd do next, not wanting to make it hard or scary, but she had to push herself or she'd come to a halt for good. She knew his mom wasn't home, and her parents weren't due back for another hour... She stumbled to the window and—

* * *

Evlan fell silent, knowing what he had to do now. Talking to her, explaining, coming to an understanding was the only way forward. Flattening out the page, he folded it neatly into a square the size of his palm and pocketed it. He turned to face the door, took a deep breath, and nearly tripped on his first step towards it.  _T_ _ypical._  Smiling at his own clumsiness, he yanked open the door, turned on the hall light, and—

* * *

Trisky pulled the curtains apart and swung the window wide open as Evlan reached the end of the hall. They both stopped, nervous but determined. As Evlan started to speak, Trisky desperately spoke over him, fearing she wouldn't be able to say it if she didn't say it now.

"Trisky, I—”

"Would you— Be my friend?"

Evlan stood stalk-still, while Trisky was frozen in a cringe, holding her breath in nervous anticipation.

Abruptly, his voice started working again.

“Uh... Yeah? Yeah, yeah! I, I'll be your friend!”

Trisky looked as though she had received a particularly forceful blow to the stomach. Taking a gulp of air, she gaped at the other teen.

“Re— Wait, seriously?!”

“Yes! Will you be my friend, Miss Ellan?” His words were jokingly toned by polite chivalry, but underneath, he was as desperate as Trisky.

"Y-yeah— I mean, of c— Totally—?!" The words came jumbled from her mouth. 

They both stood silently, still in shock to a degree. After a few minutes, Evlan could sense the awkwardness beginning to build and hastily stuck out his hand.

"Uh, I'm Evlan. Myers.”

Trisky took it and they shook. Keeping her eyes on the overly long ivory sleeves of her hand-knit sweater was done more to silence the bells than anything. _I want to focus on him, on my_  friend, _not on how distracting his shirt is!_

“Uh... D'you wanna, like, hang out sometime? Tomorrow is Saturday; we could walk around town or something...”

Evlan was relieved that she had said it so he didn't have to.

“That sounds awesome! Uh, I don't really know my way around yet...”

“That's okay! Do you have a bike?”

He nodded.

“Cool, then we can take the trail to town! I'll show you around.”

“Meet up at the corner at... Ten?”  
  
“Sounds great!”

“Well, uh… see you then?”

Trisky smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of her head.

“Yeah, uh... G'bye. G'night!”

Watching her close the window and curtains with a grin and a tiny wave, Evlan felt like he could fly.

“Oh, hey!”

Trisky was back at her window.

“Yeah?”

“Would you mind terribly, um, not wearing any patterns tomorrow? So, just solid colors? Um, logos are okay.”

Evlan stood for a moment, confused.

“Sure...? Any reason, or?”

Trisky, overtaken by a sudden wave of self-consciousness, blushed and looked down at her hands.

“Uh, I'll tell you tomorrow, I guess... Not right now, okay?”

 _What is it you want to hide?_  

“Alright, why not.”

She grinned in relief.

“Thanks. I, uh... Owe you a small favor, I guess.”

_Why is that a favor?_

“Bye.”

“Bye!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Throw me a bone! Leave a comment with your compliments and critiques. I'm a young writer and I would LOVE to get feedback on my first legitimate novel-length story! Bunches of thanks!! Hugs! \☆v☆/
> 
> See you next chapter,  
> -Nova


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the kids are awkward.
> 
>  
> 
> (And, hrmhrm... I may start slipping in some references to... A certain show. Not all of you'll catch 'em. Those who will... Y'all know who you are. [partially filmed in my hometown {NR and the whole setting of the story is based on where I live... just a little name change here and altered geography there ;) }... lil local pride here ;3c heheh])
> 
> In fact, there'll be an assload of references to all the shit I love. So if you find yourself thinking, "IS THAT A R--" let me stop you there, because yes, yes it probably is.

On November the 19th, Evlan Meyers learned something: dressing in all solids is a lot harder than it sounds. He spent a good half hour digging for the only two plain shirts he owned—a green polo and an orange crewneck with the logo of some fundraiser 4k he'd run in middle school. He picked the crewneck.

Socks were easier; he had some patterned socks, but most of his socks were solid blue or black, with the occasional dark grey one. He wore simple blue jeans and a grey sweatshirt with the logo for a fundraiser 10k he'd run in his freshman year, as part of the key club's participation in the event. For shoes, he wore green-and-grey sneakers. Lasty, he slipped his phone in his sweatshirt pocket and marched out of his bedroom, turning off the light before he closed the door. As he reached the garage door, he hesitated for a moment before grabbing a plush black scarf from the hatstand by the door.

Moments later, Evlan wheeled his bike out into an overcast, yet surprisingly bright, day. The second he stepped out of the garage, he was extremely grateful that he'd chosen to bring the scarf and wear his thicker jeans. There was a stiff breeze, and it had to be at most 55°F. Wrapping the scarf around his face and neck a few extra times and tucking in the end, he clipped his helmet strap closed and hopped on his bike to pedal around into Trisky's driveway.

Soon enough, Trisky appeared from her own garage, wearing blue jeans, grey hiking boots, a long vermillion shirt, and a royal blue sweatshirt. She had her bangs clipped back with a sparkly, translucent orangey-yellow barrette, and the clear plastic dome over the luggage rack on the back of her bike protected a periwinkle sketchbook and a milk chocolate pencil pouch. Her helmet was bright violet, and her bike spring green. For some reason, she was wearing magenta-framed glasses. And the instant she saw Evlan, she nearly fell over laughing.

“C-cold, are we?” she said eventually, still snickering, once she had reached him.

“What?” he said defensively. “It's freezing out here!”

“Where're you from, Florida?” she rolled her eyes.

“Iowa, actually. And Pennsylvania. And Texas, and California, and Tennessee, and Michigan, Ohio, and Georgia. Oh, and Utah and North Carolina,” he said, somewhat tartly. "I mean... I won't be moving anymore now, since Mom left Dad cause he was always moving us around for work, and he wasn't home a lot of the time, but..." He stalled awkwardly. "...yeah."

“Oh…!” Comprehension dawned on Trisky's face. “Uh, sorry.”

He waved it off.

“S'okay. I like making jokes about how I know so much about so many different places in America, I'd make a better president than that geezer in the White House now does.”

To his relief, Trisky smiled.

“Nice one. Let's get going; you can get a hot drink at George's.”

“George's?” he asked, as they pushed off up the street.

“Yep,” she said in a bright, energized tone, “it's really the local bakery, but they have really good cocoa too. If you want something else, we can go to the Tri Rivers Valley Café for coffee or something.”

“Why not get a pastry, then go to the café?”

“That's what I usually do anyways, so yeah!”

They rode in silence for a time. Trisky veered off road onto a trail. Evlan saw a sign with a Zumiez sticker covering part of the mile post marking that said “Tri Rivers Valley Trail, 5.- mi mark, 19.6 mi total”.

After a few more minutes, Evlan asked one of the questions floating at the forefront of his mind.

“Why are you wearing glasses?”

Trisky laughed, although she had stiffened a bit on her bike.

“Oh, I, uh… I lost one of my contacts yesterday.”

“Oh.” He considered asking his other question now, but decided that she would tell him later.

“Sorry if I seem like I don't want to talk, I'm just not very good at this.”

“It's okay. Uhm, so, what kind of stuff do you do in your free time?”

“I paint, play violin, um, I like to dabble in other art mediums too, and I sell some of my stuff on Etsy… I write some poetry and I compose some violin stuff sometimes... I read a lot of mystery novels and serial detective stories when I'm tired or upset about something. And sometimes I write them.”

“Oh, wow, that's a lot more than what I do. I do coding, mostly just simple Arduino stuff that I never actually use… It's more of a time filler than anything else. I also play clarinet. And I read fantasy. And I like running… Mountain Falls has a cross country team, right?”

“Oh, um… Cool. And I think so, yeah.”

“Oh, and I've played gigs in jazz clubs before! I don't know if there's one in North River…”

“Hum. Boxley's is sorta North River's 'fancy restaurant', and they always have some jazz musician or band playing live. And there's the annual Jazz Walk, and Blues Walk. Maybe we could play together sometime… I play a lot of jazz.”

“Yeah… That'd be nice."

Evlan paused for a moment and took a deep breath in and out.

"Y'know the thing that really struck me when we drove into the valley was these  _trees._ There's so  _many_ of 'em, and they're so impressively tall!" He inhaled deeply through his nose again. "Mm... Smell those trees."

Trisky was staring at him, utterly nonplussed.

"Uh..."

"What kind are they?"

Trisky's eyebrows each seemed to be attempting to make their vertical distance from the other as great as possible.

"...mostly douglas firs... Lotsa cedars, too, though..." 

"Douglas firs... huh." He made an expression that said 'Cool! Who knew?' before turning his attention back to the trail ahead.

They rode 15 more minutes in silence, Trisky slightly doubting her initial judgement of Evlan's sanity. Finally, she spoke.

“We're gonna turn left into town. The second building on our right is the North River Library. You can get a card for free--we can stop by now if you like.”

“Hmm… how about on our way back?”

“M'kay!” She seemed to have shaken herself off; she sat up straight, flashed him a reassuring smile—although Evlan suspected it was more for her own sake then his—and swerved gracefully off the sidewalk and over the crosswalk after a momentary glance up and down the street. Following her, Evlan saw that she had plotted a course to the front entrance of the library. A moment later, he saw that she was in fact headed for a bike rack beside the steps.

“We gotta lock up our bikes. Not _particularly_  necessary, cause it's really not that kinda town, but it's a good habit to be in.”

“Okay.”

They both chained their bikes to the rack, and Trisky spent another minute moving her sketchbook and pencil pouch from the covered luggage rack to her shoulder bag. After double-checking that both locks were secure, she straightened up, smiled uncertainly, and suggested they get moving toward the sidewalk at the edge of the small field that served as the library's front lawn.

* * *

North River was a quaint little town. Not desolate, but small enough that you could walk all the way across town in less than 20 minutes. As they traipsed along the sidewalks (old enough to be worn visibly rough, yet new enough to be devoid of all but the most negligible of cracks), Trisky explained North River in detail: population around 6-7,000, many of whom were outside the city limits in incorporated neighborhoods like Avens Village; the two halves of town, separated by Granite Creek, the middle of the three rivers in Tri Rivers Valley; a lot of Republicans and a fair number of Democrats; etcetera. The north half of town had a QFC, the post office and town hall, the library, the hardware store, two tiny car dealerships, and the main downtown area with all the small local shops. The south half had a Safeway and several chain stores and restaurants, as well as an outlet mall.

By the time they got to the bakery, the conversation had changed to each other. As they approached the door indicated by Trisky's nod and gesture, the chatter petered out. Evlan decided to ask the thing that was still nagging at him. As they stood waiting for the customer ahead of them, he spoke up.

“So… what's wrong with patterns? Why the solid color clothes?”

Trisky's knees abruptly turned inward and she looked down at her suddenly twisting hands.

“I, uh…” She swallowed and took a deep breath in and out. “I have, uhm, I have... _S_ _ynesthesia_.” She seemed to have to force out the last word. She pulled a pen out of seemingly nowhere and fiddled violently with it.

“Syneseezha?” Evlan questioned, imitating her Pacific Northwestern accent on the word.

“No! No. _Sin-ess-thee-zia_.”

“Oh. Okay. Um. What's synesthesia?”

“It means I hear sounds when I see patterns! There's all other sorts, like seeing sounds and feeling tastes and whatever, but it basically means there's some crossed wires in the sensory part of my brain. So when I see wide horizontal stripes like your shirt from yesterday, I hear church bells clanging right in my ears and it drives me up the wall and through the attic. And plaid is like a phone vibrating on a table. I could go on.”

“Oh. Uh, cool!”

The person ahead of them finished paying and stepped aside, and Trisky quickly ordered for herself. “Whad'yawan'?” She asked rapidly, her words running together.

“Er…” Evlan scanned over the glass display and named a couple of the pastries. “'kay.”

They stayed quiet until they stepped back out onto the sidewalk.

“So, uh… why so self-conscious?” “Because people call me loony all the time and say I'm hallucinating and ask what I'm smoking!! It's annoying and it's just not true, and I was afraid of what your reaction would be!”

“…Oh. Sorry, er…”

“…It's okay. Sorry for being so uptight about it, I should trust you more.”

“No, no, it's fine!"

Again in silence, the two walked, Trisky in the lead, to the cafe on the next block. Trisky waved at the cushion-filled lounge area and said, “go make yourself at home. Anything you want?”

“Er... grande hot chocolate, no whip?”

“Keh.”

When Trisky had gotten ahold of the two drinks and paid, she walked over to the lounge and sat in a huge, well-loved La-z-boy, across the coffee table from Evlan.

"Your drink, good sir."

They both smiled at the small quip as Evlan took the mug from Trisky.

"Hey, wait a minute, this ain't grande, it's a mug!" Evlan said, smiling. 

"Eh, 4 free refills for each mug of coffee and 2 for cocoa, so I don't complain."

They sat in silence for a few more minutes.  _We seem to be good at that,_ Evlan thought drily. Meanwhile, Trisky stared unseeingly at the coffee in the mug clutched in her hands. She was smiling faintly and humming. After a moment, Evlan grinned to himself, recognizing the song, and without really realizing it, quietly sang along.

" _It don't mean a thing... If it ain't got that swing... Du-wop-du-wop-du-wop-du-wop-du-wop-du-wop-du-wop-du-wop-du-waahhh..."_

Trisky's head jerked up and her face colored over.  _ **WOW.** His singing voice is... Frankly kind of sexy. Sure didn't expect that. _ She cleared her throat.

"Uhh... You, uh. You ever considered singing at those jazz gigs you play?"

Evlan sat up, startled.  _She's humoring me! Right...?_

"Aw, psh, c'mon, the only thing I can really do is clarinet. I don't really..."

Trisky hesitated for a moment, then decided to pursue the topic.

"No, I mean it! You could really net some girls with that voice, maybe even some guys too." She chuckled and went on, "but really though, you're good. I've done some jazz vocals in my day, so if you ever find yourself thinking about it, well, hit up that window for a couple tips and tricks of the trade!"

Evlan gave her a grin ( _he pulls up one corner of his mouth more than the other when he does that_ , she noticed) and replied .

"Who knows, maybe I will!"

* * *

Once they had finished their drinks and used their free refills, the two had grown much more comfortable chatting, and walked out the door talking about high school jazz bands and the funding, or lack thereof, for the music and arts programs at schools.

Trisky took advantage of a brief break in conversation.

"Hey, wanna swing by the library to get you a card?"

"Oh! Hm, sure!" 

They walked up the steps of the building and Trisky grandly swept open one of the large doors. "After you,  _monsieur,_ " she said in a lofty, jokingly haughty voice. 

"Why, thank you,  _mademoiselle,_ " Evlan responded in kind.

Neither could actually speak French.

But they were beginning to learn a language unique to them as friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Throw me a bone! Leave a comment with your compliments and critiques. I'm a young writer and I would LOVE to get feedback on my first legitimate novel-length story! Bunches of thanks!! Hugs! \☆v☆/
> 
> See you next chapter,  
> -Nova
> 
> P.S. wHEW, this chapter was LONG!! Most chapters after this will probably even out to somewhere between the lengths of chapter 1-6 and ch. 7. I'll figure out my rhythm soon! Thanks a billion bunches for reading and sticking around to chapter 7! I hope you keep enjoying the stupid. dumb hijinks these kids get up to. Bye!

**Author's Note:**

> Throw me a bone! Leave a comment with your compliments and critiques. I'm a young writer and I would LOVE to get feedback on my first legitimate novel-length story! Bunches of thanks!! Hugs! \☆v☆/
> 
> See you next chapter,  
> -Nova


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